Golden Knights goalie Lehner sent home from road trip for further tests

Sportsnet Staff @SportsnetMarch 10, 2022 - 4:24pm

In this Friday, April 16, 2021, file photo, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) skates during an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks in Anaheim, Calif. Vegas (Ashley Landis/AP)

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Vegas Golden Knights sent home starting goalie Robin Lehner to further evaluate a lower-body injury.

Coach Pete DeBoer announced the decision on Thursday, with the Golden Knights preparing to play the Buffalo Sabres – Lehner's former team – in the second stop of a four-game road trip. DeBoer didn’t provide details on the injury except to say it’s not related to the upper-body injury that led to Lehner missing five games late last month.

Robin Lehner left the Golden Knights road trip and returned to Vegas for further testing. This is for a lower body injury; he had previously been battling an upper body injury.

While it’s obviously concerning, I’m told VGK doesn’t think Lehner will miss the rest of the season.

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) March 10, 2022

Lehner is 2-2 since his return and was coming off a 19-save outing in a 2-1 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Lehner, a native of Gothenburg, Sweden, has appeared in 38 games this season for the Knights, posting a 21-15-1 record with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage after Vegas traded Marc-Andre Fleury to Chicago in a salary dump in the offseason.

The injury is the latest for the Golden Knights, who sit third in the Pacific Division standings and are in a tightly contested playoff race. The team has five players on injured reserve, including captain Mark Stone and defenseman Alex Martinez.

Robin Lehner has been sent back to Las Vegas for “some tests” relating to a lower body injury.

Logan Thompson has joined the team here in Buffalo and Laurent Brossoit will start tonight against the Sabres.
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) March 10, 2022

Laurent Brossoit, who has a 10-6-3 record, is scheduled to start against Buffalo, while Vegas called up Logan Thompson from the minors.

DeBoer said forward Reilly Smith would not play against Buffalo.

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